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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 Casting Call Fuels Ghost Rider Rumors

The Marvel Comics properties have been dominating the big screen for many years now, but the small screen is a different story. DC Comics has been dominating television on the CW Network with series like Arrow, The Flash and now Supergirl. Now that Agent Carter has been cancelled, the ABC network series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the flagship representation on network television for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least until Damage Control debuts.

The move thus far has been to keep the major characters on the big screen and over on Netflix, with hit darker-toned hit series like Daredevil, The Punisherand Jessica Jones. Now, an SDCC teaser ad and a casting call are creating real buzz about the possibility of Ghost Rider being added to the fourth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

It would be a huge move to add a character like Ghost Riderto a network television series, instead of moving the character right into a darker, more adult themed series on Netflix. The inclusion of a major and recognizable Marvel hero can only serve to elevate Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season four with audiences. That coupled with the new later time slot of 10/9c could allow for some edgier content. The only question is, which Ghost Rider are we going to see, if any? A new casting call has leaked for the series that points towards a modern incarnation of the supernatural anti-hero.

As noted by Comic Book, the casting call has gone out for a pair of latino brothers with one characterized as "the most dangerous person in the room" and the other brother is "paralyzed in a wheelchair". This could point to the 2014 comic book incarnation of Ghost Rider, a Mexican-American named Robbie Reyes. Reyes drives a flaming black muscle car instead of the traditional motorcycle and carries his own distinctive look as Ghost Rider. He also happens to have a disabled brother named Gabe. It could be that using this modern version of Ghost Rider is Marvel's compromise, as it still leaves the more traditional Johnny Blaze incarnation open for an adult-themed series down the road.

The Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider debuted in Marvel Spotlight #5 back in 1972. Created by Gary Friedrich, the name first belonged to Carter Slade, the Phantom Rider, in 1967. The Ghost Rider legacy has grown over the years, gaining immense popularity throughout the 1990s and spawning two Nicholas Cage-starring feature films, Ghost Rider (2007) and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012).

The big heroes, like the Avengers, may not make appearances on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but the impact of events, like Captain America: Civil War, may have still a ripple effect on the characters in season four. If it turns out that the San Diego Comic Con teasers featuring the Hellfire chains do mean that Ghost Rider is coming to television, it could turn the entire tone of the series and make it a must-see part of the Marvel Universe.